Iconic Vili’s bakery owner could move business interstate if North-South Corridor project destroys part of Mile End site

SA without Vili’s bakery seems unimaginable – but owner Vili Milisits says he may not have any choice if the North-South Corridor partly razes the property.

Vili Milisits at his factory in Mile End in 2018, when he was celebrating 50 years of business. Picture: Calum Robertson

Vili’s family bakery could move interstate if part of its Mile End property is destroyed to make way for the North-South Corridor, owner Vili Milisits says.

Mr Milisits claims transport workers have been at the Manchester Street bakery, just off South Road, for the past two weeks, surveying the land in relation to the North South Corridor project.

He is concerned that nearly half of the business would be destroyed to make way for the new road.

“If they keep pushing me, I will look at moving all my stuff interstate if I have to,” he told The Advertiser.

“The eastern states are becoming my greatest customers. We are already in Sydney with about 30 people, but we would have to expand and take at least half of the business out of Adelaide.”

He said there are few alternative locations in Adelaide that would allow his business to remain viable.

“We have to be close to distribution, which is why I’m at Mile End – the reason I’ve been there for 50 years is because of the convenience.”

The transport department said ground investigations were occurring all along the proposed North-South Corridor route, but would not say if the iconic Vili’s bakery would be affected.

“The locations selected do not necessarily correspond to areas that will be impacted by the final design,” a spokeswoman said.

A concept image of the North-South Corridor tunnels running underneath South Rd and Henley Beach Rd.

“The North-South Corridor T2D engagement team has had ongoing dialogue with Vili’s and will be meeting with Vili’s representatives shortly to further discuss the project.”

A final design for the corridor is expected to be completed by mid-2021.

The government is pursuing a “hybrid+” solution to the project, using a combination of tunnels and surface-level motorway to transform the 10.5km stretch between River Torrens and Darlington.

Mr Milisits questioned why it couldn’t be a tunnel for the whole stretch.

“There must be some alternative … They have managed to save the Thebarton Theatre, the Queens of Angels church … but where I am, bad luck,” he said.

“Why couldn’t they just continue the tunnel?”

Mr Milisits expressed concerns that vital freezers and baking ovens would be wiped out, as well as 300 jobs.

SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo said the government has “hit Vili’s with a pie in the face”.

“Vili’s is an iconic and significant manufacturing business in South Australia with international export status.

“You just can’t tell them that you intend to slice off a big chunk of his business pie without having viable alternative options for them.”

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